house Bill H.R. 7130

Should the VA Be Supportive of Veterans’ Medical Marijuana Use?

Argument in favor

Many veterans are already using medical marijuana, and the VA should support this in its official policy and the healthcare that it delivers to them. It’s unrealistic for the VA to prohibit or discourage medical marijuana use, given that many veterans are already using it — so the VA’s official policy should reflect this reality.

Argument opposed

The VA’s official policy already states that veterans’ VA benefits aren’t affected by legal medical marijuana use, so this bill is superfluous — all that’s needed to achieve this bill’s goals is for the VA to promulgate its existing policy more clearly. Similarly, in January 2018, the VA directed clinical staff and pharmacists to discuss medical marijuana use with patients in the context of drug interactions and other aspects of their care.

The VA being a federal agency shouldn’t support or administer drugs that are illegal at the federal level. I support the use of medical marijuana for veterans with varying mental and physical disabilities however the focus should be on decriminalizing marijuana as whole before questioning the VAs ability to prescribe it

The VA being a federal agency shouldn’t support or administer drugs that are illegal at the federal level. I support the use of medical marijuana for veterans with varying mental and physical disabilities however the focus should be on decriminalizing marijuana as whole before questioning the VAs ability to prescribe it

When one is suffering, the right to seek the most relief possible with the least penalties possible is necessary. No one has been more disappointed by the government than veterans and no one deserves more support and benefits than veterans. Cannabis is extremely useful and helpful. While alcohol is legal, with all the penalties that drinking accrues, cannabis needs to be available and supported.

Medical marijuana is a harmless natural substance that has already proven to be beneficial to millions of people for pain and many other health benefits and should be made available to anyone who chooses it as their preferred medication. Harvard reports the following information.
"The most common use for medical marijuana in the United States is for pain control. While marijuana isn’t strong enough for severe pain (for example, post-surgical pain or a broken bone), it is quite effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age. Part of its allure is that it is clearly safer than opiates (it is impossible to overdose on and far less addictive) and it can take the place of NSAIDs such as Advil or Aleve, if people can’t take them due to problems with their kidneys or ulcers or GERD.
In particular, marijuana appears to ease the pain of multiple sclerosis, and nerve pain in general. This is an area where few other options exist, and those that do, such as Neurontin, Lyrica, or opiates are highly sedating. Patients claim that marijuana allows them to resume their previous activities without feeling completely out of it and disengaged.
Along these lines, marijuana is said to be a fantastic muscle relaxant, and people swear by its ability to lessen tremors in Parkinson’s disease. I have also heard of its use quite successfully for fibromyalgia, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, and most other conditions where the final common pathway is chronic pain.
Marijuana is also used to manage nausea and weight loss, and can be used to treat glaucoma. A highly promising area of research is its use for PTSD in veterans who are returning from combat zones. Many veterans and their therapists report drastic improvement and clamor for more studies, and for a loosening of governmental restrictions on its study.
Medical marijuana is also reported to help patients suffering from pain and wasting syndrome associated with HIV, as well as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease."
If that's the case then I certainly can't see any reason whatsoever why it shouldn't be made available.

Yes, and all federal employees too. There are a plethora of other medications that ARE legal that have more side effects, including drowsiness, etc, that they take. So why not as long as it’s monitored.

If it works to help their symptoms and has been approved by a reputable healthcare provider, then it should be supported. It is the least that the federal government can do considering the unquestionable loyalty that these men and women have had while serving there country.